Lignin is a component of all vascular plants, found mostly between cellular structures but also within the cells and in the cell walls. It functions to regulate the transport of liquid in the plant (in part by reinforcing cell walls and keeping them from collapsing and in part by regulating the flow of liquid) and enables the plant to grow tall and compete for sunshine. Lignin is a complex, amorphous, three-dimensional polymer having a structure based on phenylpropane. In the natural unprocessed form, the molecular structure of lignin varies according to the source and is so complex and varied that its molecular structure has never been completely described.
There are three common monomers that make up almost all lignin found in nature. These common monomers are p-coumaryl alcohol, coniferyl alcohol, and sinapyl alcohol as shown in Scheme 1. These monomers are biosynthesized in plants via the shikimic acid pathway. p-Coumaryl alcohol is a component of grass and forage-type lignin. Coniferyl alcohol is the predominant lignin monomer found in softwoods and both coniferyl and sinapyl alcohols are the major building blocks of hardwood lignin.

Improved cleaning is a constant aim for detergent manufacturers. In spite of the use of many effective surfactants, synthetic polymers, and combinations thereof, many surfactant-based products still do not achieve complete cleaning of soiled objects, especially when used at low water temperatures.
Fabric, especially clothing, can become soiled with a variety of foreign substances ranging from hydrophobic stains (grease, oil) to hydrophilic stains (clay). The level of cleaning which is necessary to remove these foreign substances depends to a large degree upon the amount of stain present and the degree to which the foreign substance has contacted the fabric fibers. For example, grass stains usually involve direct abrasive contact with vegetative matter thereby producing highly penetrating stains. Many cleaning formulations use combinations of enzymes to aid in the peptization and removal of these stains. Alternatively, clay soil stains provide a different type of soil removal problem due to the high degree of charge associated with the clay itself. This high surface charge density resists any appreciable peptization and dispersal of the clay by conventional surfactants and enzymes. For these soils, peptizing polymers and builders aid in the removal of the soils. Finally, hydrophobic stains, such as greases and oils, usually involve another soil removal problem since technologies that remove grass stains and outdoor soil stains (clay) do not effectively aid in grease removal. For these hydrophobic stains, a surfactant or combination of surfactants is generally preferred for removal.
In addition to soil removal, for effective cleaning it is also important that the soil or staining material, once removed from the surface does not re-deposit onto the surface during the wash treatment process. That is, once the soil or staining material is removed from the surface, the cleaning product must prevent the soil or staining material from redepositing onto the clean surface and instead be removed from the wash process.
Sudsing profile of a detergent or cleaning composition, including but not be limited to speed and volume of suds generated upon dissolving the detergent composition in a washing solution, retention of suds during washing cycle and ease in rinsing the suds in the rinsing cycle is highly valued by consumers. Suds are viewed by such consumers as an important signal that detergent is “working” and is an active driver of accomplishing their cleaning objectives. Thus, rapidly generated high volume of suds and well retained suds during washing cycle are highly preferred. On the other hand, high volume of suds in the washing cycle typically results in suds being carried over to the rinse bath solution and requiring additional time, energy and water to thoroughly rinse the laundered or cleaned items. Accordingly, quick collapse of suds in rinsing solution is another preferred aspect of the sudsing profile of a detergent composition.
In laundry applications, current soil release polymers (“SRP”) are generally effective on polyester or other synthetic fabrics where the grease, oil or similar hydrophobic stains spread out and form an attached film and thereby are not easily removed in an aqueous laundering process. Many soil release polymers have a less dramatic effect on “blended” fabrics, that is on fabrics that comprise a mixture of cotton and synthetic material, and have little or no effect on cotton articles. There is a long felt need in the art for laundry detergent compositions that contain soil release polymers, including polymers from natural renewable resources, that can effectively modify the fabric surface, such as cotton fabrics, to aid in the removal of many types of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic soils from fabric.
For these reasons and others, an effective cleaning composition is typically comprised of many technologies that aid in removal of a variety of soils. Unfortunately, due to cost and formulation constraints, it is rare to find a cleaning formulation that effectively incorporates each of the above cleaning technologies to completely remove all of the target soils and stains during a cleaning process.
Other detergent products, such as, for example, hard surface cleaners, such as dish washing detergents, and those used in the health, beauty, and personal care area, including shampoos and soaps, may also benefit from products having improved cleaning/Sudsing/soil release properties.
There is a long felt need in the art for cleaning compositions that contain improved materials, such as polymers, that demonstrate these effects on hydrophilic and hydrophobic soils and staining materials on fabrics, hard surfaces and other soiled surfaces. In addition, as the effectiveness of the active polymer increases there is less of a burden on the other cleaning technologies so that one could formulate using less of these materials, use more cost effective materials and/or leverage improved cleaning to drive consumer noticeability.